NTT · 2010 - 2015
The certifications that opened Tier-1 doors
I led NTT's services organization through a demanding certification program, including CHESM, ISO, and PCI, and turned compliance into a commercial advantage that secured Chevron Australia as a Tier-1 client.
Chevron
Australia won as a Tier-1 client
01
The context
In energy, resources, and financial services, the right to bid is earned before the first sales meeting. Contractors working on major energy sites must demonstrate that they manage health, environment, and safety to the client's standard. CHESM (Contractor Health, Environment, and Safety Management) is that standard, and it is rigorous.
Certifications are not paperwork. For the right clients, they are the price of entry and a signal of how you really operate.
02
The challenge
Meet a demanding HSE standard in a technology services business that had not historically been built around it.
Run multiple management-system certifications in parallel without distracting delivery teams from clients.
Make the new disciplines stick as everyday practice, not just for the audit.
03
My role
I championed the certification program as the executive accountable for the services organization, and I carried the CHESM credential myself.
04
How I approached it
Pick the certifications that unlock markets
I prioritized the frameworks our target clients required: CHESM for energy and resources, and ISO, and PCI for enterprise and financial-services clients.
Build the management systems
We certified the organization for ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 27001 (information security), and ISO 14001 (environment), plus occupational health and safety management, PCI, and CHESM HSE.
Make it operational
The disciplines were built into how projects were run and governed, so compliance was a by-product of normal work.
Convert it into growth
With CHESM in hand, we were able to compete for and win Chevron Australia as a Tier-1 client.
05
What changed
Chevron Australia won
Secured as a Tier-1 client on the strength of the CHESM certification.
A broad certification base
ISO 9001, 27001, and 14001, occupational health and safety, PCI, and CHESM HSE.
Compliance as a differentiator
A credibility advantage in regulated and safety-critical industries.
06
What I carry forward
Compliance can be a sales strategy.
Choose the standards your best future clients require, then meet them properly.
Build it into the work.
If compliance only exists for the auditor, it will not survive the next busy quarter.